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Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Retrospective #40: “Safe Starches.” Safe for Whom?

From my perspective, having been a diagnosed Type 2 diabetic
for 33 years, there are no safe starches. My metabolism was ruined 40 or 50
years ago when certain of my genes expressed themselves in response to my
excessive use of certain foods, presumably too many highly processed
carbohydrates and simple sugars.

When I learned about 17 years ago (as I write this in 2019)
that I could manage my disease by changing the way I eat, I was ecstatic. I was
no longer doomed to be the victim of “a progressive disease” with a worsening
prognosis. I got my life back, so long as I stuck to my new way of eating. I
quickly was able to give up almost all the diabetes drugs I had been on for 16
years, I lost a lot of weight (170 pounds), and my lab tests showed my doctor
that my health had greatly improved. So, I turned my attention to maintaining
my redemption and spreading the word.

Starches are long chains of glucose molecules. 100% glucose
molecules. The chains are long but easily broken down by an enzyme that is
secreted in the mouth and is also present in the small intestine where most
digestion occurs. But many simple glucose compounds are broken down to single
glucose molecules before they reach the stomach.

If you think this is a column about the Glycemic Index, you
are wrong. If you think it is about “simple sugars and refined carbohydrates,” vs. “complex carbohydrates,” you are
wrong. Those are comparisons that you might make if you thought you had an
understanding that the former spiked blood sugar and the latter raised it more
slowly. This is true, as far as it goes, but if you’re a Type 2 diabetic or
Prediabetic, or a little Insulin Resistant (overweight?), it is irrelevant.
When digested, they are all glucose “under the curve,” and they all get in your
blood after you eat.

In addition, the phrase “complex carbohydrate” is falsely
believed to mean any starch that is long chain vs. a simple “sugar,” i.e. a mono
or disaccharide, as in cane sugar. Wrong! Bread, for example, is a starch but
not a “complex carbohydrate.” Its main ingredient is flour, a highly refined carbohydrate, easily broken down. In fact, white bread
has a glycemic index of 100! It is the ultimate
refined carbohydrate. And all other
breads, all made from highly refined flour,
are not far behind. Besides, after water the
next ingredient in all store-bought breads is sugar!

So, what is a “safe starch,” and for whom are they safe? For
those who can eat them, they are generally whole foods. Paul Jaminet, PhD, in the
book “Perfect Health Diet” (perfecthealthdiet.com), lists sweet potatoes,
potatoes, plantains, and taro. Kurt Harris, MD, creator of the now defunct
Archevore blog, adds yams and bananas.

Both Jaminet and Harris include white rice. Harris says, “Except for white rice, these are all
whole food starch sources with good mineral and micronutrient content that have
been eaten in good health for thousands of years in many environments by
genetically diverse populations. Many of these plants have spread far from
their biomes of origin and serve as staples for populations who have adopted
them with success for several thousand years.” “White rice is kind of a special
case. It lacks the nutrients of root vegetables and starchy fruits like plantain
and banana, but is good in reasonable quantities, as it is a very benign grain
that is easy to digest and gluten free.”

So, who can eat “safe starches”? Researchers examined diets
for many indigenous populations in the world who have not developed the
Diseases of Civilization (Metabolic Syndrome, Type 2 diabetes, CHD and CVD,
stroke, many cancers, and Alzheimer’s). They found that certain carbohydrates,
what they are calling “safe starches,” can be eaten, without vegetable oils, in
reasonable amounts (10% to 30% of total calories) by people whose metabolic
function has not been compromised by Insulin
Resistance. These “safe-starches” people (those who can eat them) are most likely people who are not already metabolically unhealthy or
overweight as a consequence of their Insulin Resistance. To be clear, if
you are already overweight, you probably
have Insulin Resistance, or if
you have high blood pressure, or if
you have high cholesterol (dyslipidemia), you
cannot safely eat these ‘safe starches.’

So, there you are. If you’ve followed the
low-fat, high-carb “Dietary Guidelines,” and you’re not overweight or not
otherwise metabolically unhealthy (now just 11% of the population), you can eat
“safe starches” guilt-free and to your heart’s (LOL) content. But don’t forget
to put lots of butter, sour cream and bacon on those baked potatoes.

About Me

I was diagnosed a Type 2 diabetic in 1986. I started a Very Low Carb diet (Atkins Induction) in 2002 to lose weight. I didn’t realize at the time that it would put my diabetes in clinical remission, or that I would be able to give up almost all of my oral diabetes meds. I also didn’t understand that, as I lost weight and continued to eat Very Low Carb, my blood lipids would dramatically improve (doubling my HDL and cutting my triglycerides by 2/3rds) and that my blood pressure would drop from 130/90 to 110/70 on the same meds.
Over the years I changed from Atkins to the Bernstein Diet (designed for diabetics) and, altogether lost 170 pounds. I later regained some and then lost some. As long as I eat Very Low Carb, I am not hungry and I have lots of energy. And I no longer have any of the indications of Metabolic Syndrome.
My goal, as long as I have excess body fat, is to remain continuously in a ketogenic state, both for blood glucose regulation and continued weight loss. I expect that this regimen will continue to provide the benefits of reduced systemic inflammation, improved blood lipids and lower blood pressure as well.